Opposition in Tbilisi restores tents destroyed by police

Supporters of the opposition have begun rebuilding the tent camp near Saakashvili's residence, destroyed late at night on June 18 by policemen.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported with reference to Tbilisi oppositionists that late at night on June 18 employees of police and special troops crushed down the tents installed at President's residence and beat people who were inside the tents.

According to Bidzina Gudzhabidze, one of the leaders of the opposition, dozens of policemen attacked the picketers, beat them and crushed down the tents and iron cells (cages), which symbolized Georgia's transition into a police state"; then, the attackers disappeared.

In spite of all that, the oppositionists would not disperse and plan to rebuilt the tents and continue their picket at Mr Saakashvili's residence.

It is heavily raining in Tbilisi now, which makes difficult to quickly reinstall the tents, as the "Interfax" reports.

The Georgia's MIA has made no comments so far on the incident near the residence.

Earlier, at the rally before the parliament of Georgia, Bidzina Gudzhabidze said that on June 18 MIA agents beat the oppositionists who tried to hold a protest action in Napareuli village, not far from Telavi, where Mikhail Saakashvili was present at opening of a winery.

Nika Vardoshvily, spokesman of the Telavi district office of the oppositional "Alliance for Georgia", has confirmed to journalists that he and three other members of the Party were forced by MIA agents out of the territory of Napareuli, as reported by the "Gazeta.ru".

In the morning of the same day, June 18, near the buildings of the State Chancellery and the MIA's Department for Constitutional Safety several oppositionists were beaten, who spent their night in cells-cages. The opposition believes that the MIA has to do with this crime.